Chlorine Pool Water Maintenance
Maintaining Pool Water Chemistry
Set alkalinity and hardness when you open your pool. Add adjustment chemicals slowly, and monitor daily. Check these levels every 3-5 weeks after they are set. Always read instructions on bottles.
Alkalinity
Alkalinity is the first thing we adjust when we open a pool. We measure the current level, and add sodium bicarbonate to raise the level, or mix in acid to reduce level. Cement pools tend to have high alkalinity, while vinyl lined pools tend to have low levels of alkalinity.
You will find it hard to maintain PH level if you do not have alkalinity set properly.
Hardness
Hardness is not so important if your pool has a vinyl liner. But If you have a cement / plaster pool you should pay close attention to hardness levels. having low water hardness will cause the water to pull minerals from your plaster, weakening plaster or cement finishes, and causing pitting. Water hardness that is to high will cause the water to leave deposits and stain walls. With well water, checking hardness is more of an issue, well water will most likely need to be treated.
PH
PH is usually the second thing we measure and adjust. Keep in mind high PH levels will cause your chlorine (sanitizer) to become less and less effective as the level rises. Low PH levels make the pool water more acidic (most likely cause of eyes burning). Our body PH level is 7.2, and this is exactly what your pool PH level should be maintained at for health and comfort. This should be monitored at least once a week. If you having trouble maintaining your PH level be sure to test your alkalinity again.
Chlorine
Keep your chlorine level at or above 2ppm and you will almost never have algae problems. I recommend keeping a chlorine tablet in the skimmer for every 10,000 gallons of pool water to maintain a healthy level in between weekly shocking (You will hear some people say not to put them there, but they are silly).
If you get a lot of rain or have heavy swim loads (or little kids that put the P in your ool) super chlorinate with a high dosage of chlorine more than once a week.
You should be measuring total chlorine level at least once a week. Total chlorine measures not just the current level of chlorine but also free chlorine. Free chlorine will help to maintain your current level when needed, and prevent a sudden drop in level, leaving your pool water “NOT” sanitized.
NOTE: If you smell chlorine, it is not because the level is high, but rather that it is being used.
If your having trouble maintaining chlorine within appropriate levels, you may want to monitor your cyanuric acid level. High pool temperatures (heated pools), rain (dirty water) and sunshine (causes oxidation) all play a roll in how much chlorine will need to be added on a weekly basis.
Vacuum once a week for a super clean pool and by-weekly for average cleanliness.
Pool Vacuuming
How to Vacuum Pool
Your pool filter and pump should be running. Put your vacuum head on your service pole, then put the hose on the vacuum head, some hoses should only go on one way, read your hose end, if it does not say, then is should not matter. Now put the vacuum head under water and put the entire hose in the pool, take the other end not on the vacuum head and put it over a return jet on the side of the pool and fill the hose with water, you should see all the air leave the hose through the vacuum head as it fills with water from the pool jet. Once all air is out of the line, you have the line primed. Now take the same end you filled the hose with and bring it to the skimmer (basket should already be removed), put the hose through the opening in the pool and right into the hole in the bottom of the skimmer, some skimmers have to holes, only one will be sucking water from the pool.
Now either you had to much air in the line and lost the prime at the pump, and need to re-prime your pump, or all the water is now being sucked through the hose along with the dirt. If you have two skimmers, plug or shut off the second skimmer, same goes if you have a bottom drain shut it off too. This will concentrate all the pools water through the vacuum and give you powerful suction. Move the head slowly so you don’t disturb the dirt, if you move to fast you wont suck the dirt out of the pool, you will only mix it into the water. work your pool vacuum over trouble areas, or over entire pool floor and wall surfaces.
Some Signs Of Algae Growth
If you see any green spots forming between vacuuming, take a brush on the end of a pole and scrub it mixing it with the pool water, this way it has a chance to mix with chlorine and die or get cleaned in the filter. If you have these green spots, maintain chlorine at higher levels. Algaecide is for the weak, and I ONLY use it when I close a pool for the winter!
